Marine Safety Device

ABSTRACT

A marine safety device for deployment in water upon unwanted entry by a person into the water to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy for that person; the assembly comprises a cover for retaining components of the device as an undeployed package, an inflatable mast having a proximal end which engages the cover and a distal free end, means for inflation of the inflatable member upon contact between the device and a body of water. A weight is located at or near the proximal end of the inflatable member to bias the inflatable member to a generally upright position. The device further comprises means to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly via at least one grippable member attached to the inflatable member. The device when deployed, sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable member remains exposed to view above a top water level to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water and to enable a person in the water to use the inflatable member as a buoyant safety device.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the field of marine safety and rescue devices, and more particularly to apparatuses which offer life saving protection for unwanted immersion of a person in the ocean and in other water bodies. The present invention further relates to improvements in life saving floatation devices having dual inflatable chambers each defined by opposing membranes. The invention further provides a combined inflatable marker buoy and rescue device for use in particular though not exclusively in the event of a person being washed or falling overboard.

PRIOR ART

There are in existence a wide variety of floatation device used on marine craft for the purpose of water rescue and to increase survival times in the event of unwanted immersion of a person in water and in particular the ocean. There are two main difficulties which occur when a person falls into water either from a boat, wharf, sea platform or other marine structure. The first danger is that the person may not have floatation provided by for example, a life vest to sustain life until rescue. The second is that the person may not be found particularly if the sea state is treacherous in which case it is easy to lose sight of a floating person. Once sight is lost of a person who may have fallen overboard in a treacherous sea the chances of survival are dramatically reduced, if not eliminated. Inflatable items for the protection of a part of the human body and for floatation are well known. For example inflatable vests are available as life preservers, i.e., to provide added buoyancy to keep the human body afloat in water.

Inflatable life vests of conventional design typically include a unitary internal bladder that is connected to a source of pressurized gas. The gas is applied via a gas source such as a cartridge. The cartridge may be actuated manually, by pulling an actuation cord connected to a valve-actuation pin which in turn, opens a valve connecting the cartridge to a gas inlet tube communicating with the bladder.

In certain situations, there are provided safety vests which spontaneously inflate while a person is engaging in a hazardous or semi-hazardous activity. These are useful devices where there may not be sufficient time or an appropriate opportunity to manually actuate an inflation mechanism of an inflatable protective garment (such as a vest) before a fall is suffered. There are also in existence inflatable protective garments that can be worn comfortably in a deflated condition, either alone or with a further jacket, and which can be automatically and nearly instantaneously inflated upon entry into water.

Body protection devices in the form of an inflatable garment having an inflation mechanism include an inflatable bladder configured as a vest, a compressed gas cartridge communicating with the interior of the bladder through an inflation tube, and a cartridge actuation mechanism comprising a triggering device that can be actuated to open the cartridge. The triggering device can include an actuation lever that actuates the triggering device, upon being pulled with a force of predetermined magnitude.

Boating safety requires that persons have on or have available life jackets. These can be worn as a matter of course such as in a yacht race or they may be worn in the event of an emergency requiring the safety measure of life jackets. However, even though a person is wearing a life jacket there remains the danger of losing sight of a person overboard. This is a safety problem whether or not the person is wearing a life jacket or not. Boats usually carry buoyancy rings which can be deployed in the event that a person is swept or falls overboard. Such rings, once deployed, are very difficult to see both for the personnel on the boat and also for the person in the water. Other known devices include those that inflate upon immersion in water to provide a visible marker of the position where a person is lost overboard. These devices assume that the person in the water will travel in the same direction as the marker. The marker buoy allows rescue personnel to keep sight, of the location of the person to be rescued. In high seas it is easy to loose complete sight of a person's head in wave troughs and once sight is lost it is often impossible to regain a visual on the person. Although there are devices which provide a marker of the position in the ocean to maintain sight of a person overboard, to date those devices have been essentially markers only and as valuable as a marker buoy can be as a reference, the person in the water cannot currently obtain a safety benefit since current devices are not adapted to allow the person to gain buoyancy and floatation from the device.

Reliance to date has been on life vests to provide floatation but this is only a benefit in the case of the person overboard if the person can be found. Therefore there is a long felt want to provide assembly which is a combination market buoy and safety floatation device and which enables personnel on a boat to track the position of a person overboard and for the person overboard to use the buoyancy device as a means of safety floatation.

As with some known inflatable safety vests the known market buoys employ automatic inflation once the buoy is in contact with the water. Once inflated the buoyancy markers can float away and with wind and current influencing the path to the buoyancy device. The marker might separate from the person in the water whose life the deployment was to save.

The prior art does not teach a combination buoyancy marker and safety flotation device which a person in the water can connect to so that the location of the buoyancy device will also be the location of the person for rescue purposes.

INVENTION

The present invention seeks to ameliorate the problems with the prior art assemblies described above.

The present invention provides an assembly which offers life saving protection for unwanted immersion of a person in the ocean and other water bodies. The present invention further provides improvements in life saving floatation devices having dual inflatable chambers each defined by opposing membranes. The invention further provides a combined inflatable marker buoy and rescue device for use in particular though not exclusively in the event of a person overboard.

In one broad form the present invention comprises:

a marine safety device for deployment in water upon unwanted entry by a person into said water to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy for that person; the assembly comprising; a cover for retaining components of the device as an undeployed package; an inflatable member having a proximal end which engages the cover and a distal free end, means for inflation of the inflatable member upon contact between the device and a body of water, a weight located at or near the proximal end of the inflatable member to bias the device further comprising means to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly via at least one grippable member attached to the inflatable member; wherein the device when deployed, sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable member remains exposed to view above a top water level to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water and to enable a person in the water to use the inflatable member as a buoyant safety device.

In another broad form the present invention comprises:

a buoyancy marker kit for deployment in a water body upon unwanted entry into said water by a person to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy support for that person; the kit comprising; a foldable envelope defining an internal space; at least a weight and an inflatable mast located in the internal space; means for inflation of the inflatable mast upon contact with a body of water, means on the assembly to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly by at least one gripping formation or member incorporated in or on said inflatable mast; wherein said at least one gripping formation or member is located such that when a person obtains floatation by engagement with the mast when deployed, wherein the kit sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable mast forms a floatation mast associated with the assembly remains exposed to view to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water while the person engages the gripping member.

According to a preferred embodiment the kit includes a sea anchor. Preferably the envelope comprises folding opposing flaps forming a cross with opposing flaps folded towards each other. According to one embodiment the gripping formation is a loop of material attached to said floatation mast. According to an alternative embodiment the gripping formation is an opening formed into the floatation mast.

The kit further comprises at least one source of gas for at least one chamber in the inflatable member or separate sources of gas for each chamber. Inflation of the floatation mast is activated by contact with water which enables release of the gas into the floatation member.

In another broad form the present invention comprises:

a buoyant marker assembly for deployment in a water body upon unwanted entry into said water by a person to indicate the location of that person; the assembly comprising; a container for retaining an inflatable member; means for inflation of the inflatable mast upon contact with a body of water, means on the assembly to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly by at least one gripping formation or member incorporated on said inflatable member; the inflatable member including an inflatable mast; wherein the said at least one gripping formation or member is located to enable a person to reach the formation when the assembly sits in the body of water; wherein at least part of the floatation mast includes a weight which biases the mast to an orientation so that the majority of the length of the mast remains exposed to view to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water.

The present invention provides an alternative to the known prior art and the shortcomings identified. The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying representations, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying illustrations, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Although the invention will be pre-dominantly described with reference to its application in sea rescue, it will be recognised by persons skilled in the art that the assembly to be described below may be adapted for use in alternative applications beyond that described by example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be now described according to a preferred but non limiting embodiment and with reference to the accompanying illustrations wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the marine safety device according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an elevation view of the mast when deployed and inflated; and

FIG. 3 the assembly of FIG. 1 in its folded configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown an exploded view of a the buoyancy mast assembly 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. Assembly 1 comprises an envelope 2 shown unfolded and including closure flaps 3, 4, 5 and 6. Envelope 2 may be closed by engagement between flaps 3 and 5 and 4 and 6. Flap 4 includes a velcro strip 7 which engages corresponding velcro strip 7 a located on an opposite face of flap 6. Likewise velcro strip 24 engages corresponding velcro strip 25 located on an opposite face of flap 3. Tab 8 provides a locking closure of envelope 2. All components to be described below are contained in the envelope by the above folding regime. Assembly 1 further comprises an inflatable mast 11 having a first end 13 which when the mast is fully inflated provides a visual indicator for search and rescue personnel. At opposite end 14 mast 11 is anchored to and preferably integrally attached to cover envelope 2 via a zipper 10. This connection may be effected by alternative means such as by use of stitching. Mast 11 also includes a dead weight 9 which when the assembly is deployed, provides a restoring moment keeping mast 11 substantially upright so that end 13 is maintained at its highest making it easier for rescuers or any person overboard to locate. Weight 9 can be provided by a solid lead block, lead pellets, glass beads, or other suitable material. The weight can be attached to mast 11 or inserted in a pocket provided on that mast. Mast 11 preferably includes a ribbon 34 which provides a visual marker for search and rescue services making the device easier to spot during rescues. To inflate mast 11, gas canister 15 is engaged with valve assembly 17. Connected to valve assembly 17 is a water sensing cartridge 36′ which triggers inflation of the mast 11 upon contact with water. Canister 15 is retained by flexible saddle 16. According to a preferred embodiment Inflation may be initiated manually by pulling cord 18 which actuates valve 26 and enables gas from canister 15 to enter inflatable mast 11. Alternatively gas from canister 15 may be released by immersion of the assembly 1 in water which erodes a reactive tablet (not shown) also causing actuation of valve 26. Assembly 1 is also adapted with a sea anchor 21 which is secured to eyelet 20 via cord 19. Mast 11 further comprises a one way manual inflation valve 35 which acts as an oral inflation tube and provides an alternative means to allow inflation of the mast. Mast 11 can also be provided with a whistle which can be reached by the overboard victim.

Inflatable mast 11 is characterised in having handles 22 and 23 which allows the assembly to be gripped by a victim when deployed in rough seas thereby ensuring that the assembly and victim are not separated from each other. Gripping handles 22 and 23 are merely examples of numerous possibilities for adapting the mast 11 so that it can be gripped to increase victim safety until rescue. Gripping handles may be integrally formed or moulded into the mast 11 or can be sewn into or otherwise attached to the wall of mast 11 as shown. The gripping handle may also include a length of rope or like material attached at one end to the mast with the opposite end allowed to hang freely. The locations of handles 22, 23 and 26 are selected to optimise the maintenance of buoyancy and also to ensure stability of the assembly 1 when floating in the water. The handles are preferably positioned low enough to enable a victim in the water to reach and grip them, but high enough so that once engaged by the victim, buoyancy of the assembly is retained without causing end 13 to rotate away from its highest point. At least part of a floatation mast associated with the assembly remains exposed to view to enable enabling rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water. Mast 11 preferably includes reflectors 30, 31, 32 and 33.

FIG. 2 shows with corresponding numbering an elevation view of the buoyancy mast 1 of FIG. 1 when deployed. FIG. 3 shows with corresponding numbering the assembly of FIG. 1 with envelope 2 folded to form carry case 40. Carry case 40 includes a handle 41 which enables assembly 1 to be stowed as a compact space efficient package in its folded configuration. Flaps 3, 4, 5 and 6 co operate to form case 40 by interleaving. The flaps are preferably secured by Velcro fastening. The buoyancy assembly may comprise one or more sources of gas for inflatable chambers or separate sources of gas for individual chambers in buoyancy mast 11.

The weight used for buoyancy would preferably be in the order of 4 kg and the mast 11 would be in the region of 2 meters. The gripping handles preferably are located to sit out of the water prior to loading (gripping) by a victim and after loading for buoyancy. As soon as the kit hits the water the mast inflates and exposes the components such as the sea anchor which allows the mast to track with the current. The prior art devices are purely markers whereas the assembly of the invention is a combined marker and safety device for victim buoyancy. This ensures that the victim tracks with the current and the marker so can be found by rescuers. The gripping handle is positioned to reduce or eliminate any overturning tendency since a loss of visual contact with the mast 11 would potentially compromise victim safety.

According to one embodiment the gas supply is from a CO₂ cylinder which can be unscrewed from the firing head. The firing head can be tested using a manual operating lever attached to it and moving the lever through its full length of travel.

Advantages include additional safety due to the addition of a gripping handle, providing a buoyancy which allows the support of a person in the water but without compromise of its essential function of a visual marker. In the preferred embodiment, the compressed gas source is at least one compressed gas cartridge. The assembly and device according to the invention can be used in a variety of applications not limited to search and rescue such as but not limited to:

identifying navigation hazards, marking wreckage, course marking, special event boundaries, dive sites, deep water channel marking and search area marking. The device provides a method for deployment recovery and storage of a Market Buoy for small craft and work boats and rigid hull inflatables.

The present invention obviates the disadvantages of the prior art and provides other advantages which are apparent from the description herein.

It will be recognised by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the invention broadly described herein without departing from the overall spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A marine safety device for deployment in water upon unwanted entry by a person into said water to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy for that person; the assembly comprising; a cover for retaining components of the device as an undeployed package; an inflatable member having a proximal end which engages the cover and a distal free end, means for inflation of the inflatable member upon contact between the device and a body of water, a weight located at or near the proximal end of the inflatable member to bias the device further comprising means to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly via at least one grippable formation on or attached to the inflatable member; wherein the device when deployed, sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable member remains exposed to view above a top water level to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water and to enable a person in the water to use the inflatable member as a buoyant safety device.
 2. A device according to claim 3 wherein, the inflatable member comprises a mast connected via one end to the cover.
 3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the weight provides a counterweight to bias the inflatable member to an above water position when the device is deployed in water and the inflatable member is inflated.
 4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the weight is contained in a pocket at the proximal end of the inflatable mast.
 5. A device according to claim 4 further comprising a sea anchor connected to the proximal end of the mast.
 6. A device according to claim 5 wherein, the at least one gripping formation is located on the inflatable mast so that a person floating in the water can reach the at least one formation.
 7. A device according to claim 6 wherein, the inflatable mast when inflated is biased to an angle orientation which is more than 45 degrees from the water level.
 8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the cover comprises four orthogonally disposed folding flaps which mutually co operate to form a carry bag which is capable of retaining therein the mast and the sea anchor.
 9. A device according to claim 8 wherein, the mast is made from a flexible material which allows the mast to be folded to a size which is accommodated by the carry bag.
 10. A device according to claim 9 wherein the carry bag is detachably connected to the proximal end of the mast.
 11. A device according to claim 10 wherein, the means to inflate the mast comprises and assembly including: a gas cylinder connected to an inflation body an automatic, a disposable water sensing cartridge; a manual inflation lever which enables manual inflation, a manual firing indicator and an auto firing indicator.
 12. A device according to claim 11 wherein, the weight is provided by granular material
 13. A device according to claim 12 wherein, the sea anchor is a tapered bag of flexible material which has a first wide end and a second narrow end.
 14. A device according to claim 13 wherein, the first wide end is open to allow entry of sea water to provide drag for the safety device.
 15. A device according to claim 14 wherein, the sea anchor is connected to the mast with twine which is of sufficient length to allow the sea anchor to drag at a distance from the mast when the device is deployed in water.
 16. A device according to claim 15 wherein the folding flaps form a cross with opposing flaps folded towards each other to form a carry bag envelope.
 17. A device according to claim 16 wherein, the gripping formation is a loop of material attached to said floatation mast.
 18. A device according to claim 16 wherein, the gripping formation is an opening formed into the floatation mast.
 19. A device according to claim 18 wherein, the weight is granular and is selected from lead, sand or glass beads.
 20. A device according to claim 18 wherein, the weight is solid lead.
 21. A device according to claim 15 wherein, the mast includes a ribbon which provides a visual marker for rescuers.
 22. A device according to claim 21 wherein the mast is connected to the carry bag via a zipper.
 23. A buoyant marker assembly for deployment in a water body upon unwanted entry into said water by a person to indicate the location of that person; the assembly comprising; a container for retaining an inflatable member; means for inflation of the inflatable mast upon contact with a body of water, means on the assembly to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly by at least one gripping formation or member incorporated on said inflatable member; the inflatable member including an inflatable mast; wherein the said at least one gripping formation or member is located to enable a person to reach the formation when the assembly sits in the body of water; wherein at least part of the floatation mast includes a weight which biases the mast to an orientation so that the majority of the length of the mast remains exposed to view to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water.
 24. A buoyant marker kit for deployment in a water body upon unwanted entry into said water by a person to indicate the location of and to provide buoyancy support for that person; the kit comprising; a foldable envelope defining an internal space; a weighted inflatable mast located in the internal space; means for inflation of the inflatable mast upon contact of the kit with a body of water, means on the assembly to enable a person in the body of water to gain floatation from the assembly by at least one gripping formation or member incorporated in or on said inflatable mast; wherein said at least one gripping formation or member is located such that when a person obtains floatation by engagement with the mast when deployed, wherein the kit sits in the body of water so that at least part of the inflatable mast remains exposed to view to enable rescuers to pinpoint the location of the person in the water while the person engages the gripping member.
 25. A kit according to claim 24 further comprising at least one source of gas for at least one chamber in the inflatable member or separate sources of gas for each chamber.
 26. A kit according to claim 25 wherein, the floatation mast is inflated by contact with water of a water sensing cartridge which enables release of the gas into the floatation mast. 